Here is a special, edible way to show your love! These cupcakes with hearts in the middle are fun to make and share at Valentine’s Day or any day of the year! Made with a moist white cake batter and the batter of your choice for the hearts and topped with a rich, creamy buttercream, these cupcakes have special heart shapes waiting to be sliced into!
Making cupcakes with hearts inside is easy but just requires a few extra steps. The extra steps are:
- Making an extra batter.
- Cutting hearts out.
- Tucking the hearts inside the cupcake batter.
USE TWO BATTERS
You’ll need two cake batters of contrasting colors to make these cupcakes. I’m including my white cake recipe for the cupcakes below. For the hearts, I used a recipe for red velvet cupcakes. Feel free to use your favorite recipe for red velvet or take a short cut and use a boxed cake mix.
For the hearts, you’ll need a single layer 8 inch cake. For the cupcake batter, you’ll need enough to make a dozen.
HEART CUPCAKE COLOR COMBINATIONS
It’s the beginning of February, so I felt like making a classic red heart and white cupcakes and frosting. The white cupcakes and frosting definitely makes the red pop.
I’m dying to make pink hearts with chocolate cupcakes. For that I might use my white cupcake batter for the hearts along with some food coloring to make it pink and a chocolate cupcake mix! You really can do any color hearts, cupcakes and frosting you like!
FROSTING AND DECORATING YOUR HEART CUPCAKES
My buttercream is the perfect sweet, rich topping for these these tender cupcakes. I love the pretty white color, but you can also add food coloring to it to get your desired color.
To keep the decorating simple and sweet, I scoop the frosting on using an ice cream scoop and simply top it with leftover red velvet crumbs. They have a simple, modern look to them and which happens to be super easy to create!
If you like, you can pipe the frosting on using your favorite tip and add any candy hearts or sprinkles!
ABOUT THE HEARTS INSIDE
Once you have your heart cake batter made, it’s important to let it cool completely before cutting out the hearts. Use a 1 inch heart-shaped cookie cutter.
You’ll want to make a little mark on the front of your cupcake liners so that you know where to cut the hearts. I use a marker and place a little tiny line at the fronts of my liners and place all my hearts in the same direction.
HOW TO MAKE CUPCAKES WITH HEARTS IN THE MIDDLE
- Start by making your hearts. Make the cake flavor and recipe of your choice (from scratch or boxed). I like to cook mine for the minimum baking time. You definitely don’t want to overcook them.
- Set the cake aside and allow it to cool completely. Once cooled, cut out the hearts.
- Next, line your cupcake tin with liners. Use a marker to make a little mark at the front of each cupcake liner. This will help you know which direction the hearts are facing.
- Make the white cupcake batter and fill each cup about 1/3 full. Place a heart inside each cupcake making sure the hearts are standing upright and touching the bottom. Carefully spoon a extra batter around the hearts. The tops will be peaking out before and after they bake. That’s fine because they’ll get covered with frosting!
- Bake the cupcakes for 10-12 minutes then transfer cupcakes to a wire rack to cool.
- Prepare the simple buttercream. Once the cupcakes are cooled, use an ice cream scoop and top each cupcake with a “scoop” of frosting. Top with red velvet cake crumbs.
These cupcakes with hearts in the middle are SO FUN to make and eat! You can tell people what’s inside beforehand, but I find it fun to tell them where to cut and to see their reactions to the surprise heart inside! Make them for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day or any day you feel like making some special cupcakes!
FOR MORE VALENTINE’S/CUPCAKE RECIPES, TRY MY:
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Cupcakes with Hearts in the Middle
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: About 12 cupcakes 1x
- Category: Baking, Cupcakes, Desserts, Valentines
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These cupcakes with hearts in the middle are super sweet and cute! Made with a moist white cake and red velvet heart, these cupcakes are topped with a rich buttercream frosting. Fun to make and eat!
Ingredients
FOR THE HEARTS
- Use any 8-inch from scratch or boxed cake.
FOR THE CUPCAKES
- 2 cups flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
FOR THE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/4 cup milk
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
FOR THE HEARTS
- Use a red velvet cake recipe or any flavor you like and prepare at least an 8 inch cake. Let cake cool completely.
- Once cooled, use a 1-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out hearts. Set aside while preparing the cupcake batter.
FOR THE CUPCAKES
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake tin with liners. Use a marker to make a small dot at the fronts of your cupcakes so that you will know which direction the hearts are facing once baked and frosted.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
- Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment or with a hand held mixer.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients alternatively with the milk, scraping down the sides as you go. Beat well.
- Fill the cupcake tins at least 1/3 of the way with the cupcake batter. Place the hearts in the middle, making sure the bottoms are touching the bottom of the tin. Gently spoon additional batter around the top part of each heart. (The hearts will be still be sticking out on top before and after baking).
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Begin checking the cupcakes at 10 minutes.
- Remove the cupcakes from the tin and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
FOR THE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
- Beat the butter and vanilla until it’s creamy. With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar followed by the milk, vanilla and salt. Turn the speed up to medium and beat until smooth and fluffy.
DECORATING THE CUPCAKES
- Use an ice cream scoop to top each cupcake with a scoop of frosting. Break up some crumbs from the leftover heart batter and sprinkle them on top of the frosting. You might have to lightly press some into the sides if they don’t naturally stick.
Keywords: cupcakes, valentines, white cake, vanilla buttercream, heart shape, heart inside
A Valentine’s Day Delight!
★★★★★
Absolutely!